Sunday, January 31, 2010

This délicieux cup of café crème should warm you up on this cold winter day. Actually, I prefer expresso in Paris, but my friend's red cup with that great carafe d'eau in the background looked so inviting I had to have a photo!

Friday, January 29, 2010

The beautiful and ornate Gothic Tour Saint-Jacques, located in the 4th near Les Halles, is all that remains of the 16th century church, Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie. It has been recently renovated, and I've tried on several occasions to get a good photograph during the day without much success. On my last visit, the greenish lighting against that fabulous sky just begged me to try just once more!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

I like this photograph for two reasons. One, I like this young man as he admires a piece of artwork that I don't see. The second is the painting in the background. My friends and family know that I have a long running affair of the heart with la Tour Eiffel. L'Equipe de Cadiff by artist Robert Delaunay, caught my eye at the Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris. J'adore!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Our first day in Paris, we covered a lot of territory. We stopped at Shakespeare and Co. on the Left Bank to poke around ( and warm up). While I was standing in line to purchase the latest issue of Paris Magazine ( that I can only find at S& Co), the rest of the group found the back staircase and were lucky enough to see theupstairs of this interesting place. Outside I spotted this old suitcase stuffed with books. I seem to have a "thing" about old luggage. Maybe that's because I've been without mine too many times in Paris lately! You might also spy a well known Paris blogger here as well. Apparently we both found our way into each other's photos that day!

Monday, January 25, 2010

I'm cheating a little on this one. I knew this artist at Place du Tertre even before I spotted him that cold, damp day. You see, I'd already "met" him when my friend, American ( living in Paris) photographer Meredith Mullins, featured him in her terrific book, In a Paris Moment. I walked right up and in my broken français I told him I thought he was famous because of Meredith! When I said her name, he smiled and it was easy after that. In this photo he is telling a fellow artist why he's "famous"! I wish I'd had more time with him and could have gotten a shot even half as good as Meredith's portrait in her book. Quel dommage. But it was a special meeting. I'm satisfied with that.

For the record, I tried to take the neighboring artist's photo and he said, "Non, I don't want to be famous." His loss don't you think?

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Last Saturday morning's snowfall crowned this beautiful statue in the gardens of the Musée Carnavalet in the Marais.

My friend Owen at Magic Lantern Show has done a new post comparing his photos of this angel and the lovely statue by the staircase at the Musée Carnavalet with mine. Merci Owen for the nice post. You will all want to see his photos as well. Owen has a terrific eye!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Many of you will remember when I was in Paris last week, I posted photos of the Buren columns in the snow.....without the bright red security wall around them. For as long as I've traveled to Paris, they have been "under wraps" during their controversial refurbishing. I've posted several shots that I captured by pushing my lens up against the plastic window. Not very satisfying. Well imagine my delight when the wall came down overnight, just in time for the snowfall on Saturday! To prevent accidents I suppose, the area was still cordoned off with yellow police tape.....until our very last night. ( I think the Parisian photography gods really do like me!) We cut through the Palais Royal on our way home and VOILÀ!!! It was almost dark, but there were a few kiddos already having some fun. This one's *not quite sharp, but I really love the silhouette!

My friend Peter has a nice post about the columns today as well. I slipped him the hot tip that they were open for business just before I left. Jump over to his blog and read about the history. I just love when he does all the work and I just sit back and link! :)

* I seem to be apologizing for "not quite sharp" photos a lot lately. I promise this is the last marginal photo I'll post. Merci for your patience and understanding!

MERCI to my dear PJ , Pensacola Daily Photo, for featuring my Paris calendar on her blog here. I need all the free advertising I can get! All proceeds from the calendar (over there on the sidebar) will go to support my Paris addiction. I promise!!

Friday, January 22, 2010

I thought we would just make another quick trip back to Merci for one more day and have a look around. Of course the show stopper has to be the adorable red Fiat parked out front in the courtyard. When we visited, it was adorned with a live Christmas tree. The snow that day was made to order! My talented artist/blog friend Shell Sherree, way down in Brisbane has a delightful watercolor of this trés jolie voiture! Take a look here.

As I mentioned yesterday, Merci offers clothing for men, women, and children, plus housewares, furnishings, and garden accessories. I'm sure you're wondering about prices. Well let's just say this is no Monoprix!

For more information about Merci, scroll down to Wednesday's post!

My thanks to reader Stephanie who kindly sent me this live webcam site of la Tour Eiffel.

Enjoy~

Mary and I loved the housewares section. We would have spent our last euro

if we could have figured out a way to get it all in a petite valise for the trip home.

The library was amazing. Sorry we didn't have the time to peruse the enormous selection of books

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Dressed like a mini Parisian model. This may be one of my favorite shots of the whole trip!

Photographer's Dilemma: "They" say when your camera is OFF, you should leave it set on Automatic in the eventuality that you need to move quickly to catch a shot. The afternoon this was taken it was very late and getting dark. I turned around as this petite jeune fille was scampering away from her mommy. I didn't want automatic because then I would get the horrible pop up flash. I was left fumbling in low light with my manual settings while trying to pull my glove off with my teeth, all the while running behind her! This was my best shot but terribly underexposed. I did what I could in the editing process, but I'm well aware of the noise that resulted. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

* I'm pleased to share that Linda Donahue, editor of parisiensalon.com has chosen another of my Paris street portraits for a recent article. Click here to see it!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

I was fascinated with their wide selection of colorful letters and the display wall from the minute we walked in the store.

Merci, near the Bastille, is Paris' newest concept store. Created by Marie- France and Bernard Cohen, founders of the fabulous Bonpoint children's stores, all proceeds (after breaking even) are donated to a co op for young women in Madagascar. This part loft, part library, part clothing and garden shop has a little something for everyone, from trés chic home accessories and furnishings to colored pencils artfully displayed. Need a shopping break? Stop in the cozy coffee shop or have lunch downstairs in the cafe. Regardless, plan to spend a lot of time here! Today a taste of Merci. More to come!

Want to puchase one of the words on the wall? Well you can certainly have it, but I hope you have around 800-900 euros in your pocket!

I am pleased to announce that Linda Donahue , editor of Parisiensalon.com has chosen another of my Paris street portraits for a recent article here.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Just home and it's been a very long day, but wanted to give you at least one new photo. Friday, we toured the well known Cimetière Père - Lachaise. We were lucky to have our own expert, Mary Gilbert, right there to give us all the interesting tidbits. Today's photo is dedicated to you Mar, for planning such a great trip for us!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Today I only left the apartment for a short while. Mary G and I were suffering from a stomach bug , so I don't have hot off the camera shots for you today. Instead, a look at the fun going on at the Hotel de Ville ( Paris City Hall). A large temporary skating rink has been installed and a gorgeous carrousel as well.

UPDATE: We decided to get out tonight and took a cab to la Tour Eiffel, and I got a few decent shots. I'm adding one for your viewing pleasure!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

This morning we gave ourselves a break and slept in. As we walked across the gardens of the Palais Royal, we saw that the light snow we had overnight was still on the ground there. The gentleman feeding the birds did not shoo me off today when I took his photo although he did turn his head. We were off then to my old "stomping grounds", Place Monge and rue Mouffetard where we met Mary's Parisian friend Anne for lunch. I had the most divine cassoulet of potatoes and ham I've ever tasted. Following lunch we walked to the Galerie des Gobelins for an exhibition of Louis XV tapistries. Amazing. We followed this with a trip to a patisserie and bought some delightful sweets. At Anne's apartment we were able to chat with her parents and have tea!! Very full and a bit tired, we walked up Mouffetard and stopped a few times to shop. Around the Pantheon and down to Luxembourg gardens we went but had to stop for wine at Saint Sulpice to gain our strength! We ended the evening with dinner at a hip little cafe and met the cutest couple from Sydney! Bonsoir!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Oh what a great day of friends and fun. We started out with a quick trip to the Arc de Triomphe. Actually I've photographed it from afar but never been right there to see it in all its grandness. Just a beautiful memorial. We walked the Champs Elysees, stopping for coffee and a little shopping. Then a quick taxi ride to the Cafe Madeleine for lunch with Mary's adorable French teacher Cecile. Next, Au Printemps for a whirlwind trip through that fabulous store. We met bloggers Alice (Arradon DP) and Peter (Peter's Paris) for tea and macarons at Laduree nearby. What fun to get to see Alice again! We headed to rue St. Honore and stopped at Colette. What a store! After a short respite at the apartment, we took the bus to the Marais to meet our friend Richard Nahem, founder of http://www.eyepreferparis.com/. We ended the evening with a great pizza at a neighborhood cafe.

Monday, January 11, 2010

You Paris lovers and residents know that Montmartre and the lovely Sacre Coeur Basilica is the highest point in Paris. No matter what means of transportation you choose, there will be some walking up that hill. Today we managed to cut as many corners as possible. Before our climb we stopped at the beautiful Notre Dame Lorette Church. After that, we took the Abbesse metro (and the elevator to the sortie). Those of you that know this metro know that it has many colorful murals painted along the walls as you climb many many many flights of stairs. I'm sure they hoped it would take your mind off the task at hand. I recommend the elevator! We did a leisurely walk up the hill stopping in many shops to have a look and warm up. We stopped for lunch, then made our way to the church. We opted for the vernicular ( a tram) to the very top. WHEW! I was more than happy about that. It was very cold today and overcast. A very wise move on our part. Once there we toured the basilica and then made our way to Place du Tertre and saw the few hardy artists that braved the cold to sell their wares. After some more shopping we started down the hill to a nice cafe where we met our friend Barbara who lives in the neighborhood. After a quick trip to a hardware store, we jumped a metro to meet friends for a drink. Some of you may know our friends...... Peter of course and........... Eric Tenin. Oh yes we did. Eric bestowed a papal blessing on all of you City Daily Photo Bloggers, and I have witnesses ! :) After bidding Eric good evening, the four of us went to a nearby restaurant, Ratatouille for a delicious dinner. Peter kindly escorted us on our walk home. How did we find the energy?? Well it's 1:00 so I will post a few photos and bid you good night!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Lest you think we are worn out and can't put one foot in front of the other, we jammed another day full of sights and fun. We headed out at 10 this morning and attended services at the beautiful American Cathedral on Avenue George V. I photographed this church last summer ( check the archives for previous photos). It was a wonderful experience and everyone was so friendly. We followed that with a nice lunch around the corner. After photographing "The Flame" we walked down the street to the , *Musee de lÁrt Moderne de la Ville de Paris to see the fabulous Dufy mural. We took a little more time to quickly see the permanent collection. Once done, we walked the pedestrian bridge to the Musee Quai Branley. A fairly new museum, it features the art of native civilizations around the world. What an interesting museum this is! By 4, we were tired and it was getting dark and was very cold. We hopped a bus and took the long way home, ending at the Gare du Nord, where we took the Metro home. We had a little downtime before finding dinner. It's 12:07, I'm very tired. Good Night everyone!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Daniel Buren columns have been under renovation for over a year. This morningthe red wooden walls that surrounded it had magically been taken down. See, told you I was blessed today!

The Pol Bury Fountain

Today we woke to a soft snowfall that was covering the city. Oui, the Photography Gods were smiling on me today! We struck out through the Palais Royal and I had a hard time not opting to spend the whole day there. After I had my fill of photos, we headed to the Bastille area to visit Merci. What a terrific store. I have many photos to share with you. My dear friend Shell Sherree has done a delightful watercolor and was the inspiration for our trip there. We proceeded to the Marais and visited the Place des Vosges first. ( See new header). A wonderful day of shopping, photographing and a few stops for beverages where we ended up at the Hotel de Ville to see the ice skaters and carrousel that is the delight of Parisian children and grownups as well. We stopped at the apartment for an aperitif and then on to the Opera Garnier area for a wonderful dinner and a dessert sampler that had us delirious! Another fun packed day.

Tomorrow church service at the American Catherdral and museums!!!

I apologize for the small photo format. New computer, new photo editing and French internet service. Cést dommage! I'm going to try and sweet talk Peter into solving this issue soon.

Friday, January 8, 2010

A light dusting of snow remained in some areas of Paris. This was at the Palais Royal

Bonsoir from the frozen tundra, I mean cold but beautiful Paris. We arrived at about 9 this morning. Did we take a long nap? Of course not. We donned all our cute winter gear and hit the streets. We bought some groceries, visited 2-3 passages ( more on those later), had a good lunch and was joined by Peter who shared a glass of wine with us. Then the four of us struck out and walked all over Paris. When we became numb, we headed into shops and even toured Notre Dame, and Shakespeare and Co. After a warming cup of expresso, we walked back up to the Pompidou Center and ..........I can't remember what all. On the way back to the apt, we screeched into Strohrer where Peter bought a King Cake for us. Once back in the apt., we popped the cork on a nice bottle of champagne that he had brought and had a slice of cake. Well guess who got the gold charm? MOI, so I got to wear the gold crown. It's good to be the queen you know! If you can believe this, we wrapped back up and we all headed to Bistrot Victoires for dinner and more....... well you know! A great great first day in Paris!

I am experiencing computer and photo editing problems so my photos may leave a lot to be desired. Bear with me. Maybe when I'm no longer sleep deprived, I'll figure it all out.

With any luck at all, this morning I'll be right here at Aéroport Charles de Gaulle. Even though I spent an excruciating day last August trying to get out of here, I still get a little flutter everytime I walk through the beautiful Delta/Air France terminal with these amazing wood walls/ceiling. I know you've all got scary stories to tell, hey so do I! But if my toes are touching

Thursday, January 7, 2010

I'm usually a bit hesitant to snap photos in the Metro. I caught this one on the fly as you can see. I rather enjoy the musicians that hop on and off . They're usually pretty good and friendly, especially if you give them a coin or two. If I take a photograph I always try and return the favor.

The boys below were part of a larger group and were practicing outside Église Saint- Germain- de-Pres.

Paris je t'aime

I fell in love with Paris in March 2007. It was as the French say, le coup de foudre : love at first sight. As a result of that trip, my photography took another direction. Since that time I have pursued a career of sorts in photography and dreamed of returning to the City of Light. November 2008 found me strolling the streets of Paris once again. My first visit I was so overwhelmed with the incredible beauty of the city, I photographed it as a "tourist". In 2008 I returned and I looked at the city with more of a photographer's eye. I wanted to capture the unique, the small details, and oh yes - the people! This blog was started as a photo diary of that trip, but I have been most fortunate to return to the city j'adore 9 times since. Each time I leave, I wipe a tear and start planning my list for the next trip. Paris may well be a moveable feast, but I think it's best savored in person! Someone told me that once you have been to Paris, you will leave a piece of your heart. I left mine right there, but I brought home some wonderful memories. It is my pleasure to share them with you.